Anderson Silva: 10 Memorable Moments

Towering Figure

It is often hard to appreciate history while it is still happening.
Fans have become so accustomed to Anderson
Silva’s dominance that it is hard to remember the time when he
did not tower over the sport with highlight-reel knockouts and
submissions. Silva’s reign will eventually end, maybe as soon as
this Saturday, when he meets Chael Sonnen
in the UFC
148 main event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Silva has crafted a legacy so inordinately successful that it will
likely grow even more impressive as time provides historical
context. These are the moments that stand out the most in Silva’s
storied career.

Undefeated No More

Shooto “To The Top 7” | Aug. 26, 2001 -- Osaka,
Japan

When Silva fought Hayato
Sakurai in 2001, the undefeated Japanese star was arguably the
most highly regarded lighter weight fighter in the sport. Mixing
solid wrestling and submissions with a dangerous standup game,
Sakurai was a complete mixed martial artist at a time when few
others were. The Shooto
middleweight champion was prized by the
UFC and
Pride Fighting Championships organizations, and ended up
fighting for both. However, his reign as Shooto champion ended
abruptly in the late summer of 2001 against a then relatively
unknown Brazilian.

Silva had only fought once in Japan prior to his golden opportunity
against Sakurai. His win over Tetsuji Kato
was enough to earn the shot, and Silva took advantage. Still,
Sakurai proved to be a difficult challenge for him. This did not
prove to be a spectacular and one-sided destruction like so many
future fights. Rather, Sakurai hung in the standup with Silva and
scored a number of takedowns over the course of the bout. Silva was
active enough off his back and landed enough shots in the standups
to take a unanimous decision. Sakurai’s long dominance in Japan was
over, and, following a car accident, he never again reached the
same heights.

This was the fight that announced Silva’s presence on the world
stage. He never fought for Shooto again, instead vacating the title
and joining Pride. The credibility of the win over a fighter the
caliber of “Mach” Sakurai that paved the way for Silva’s future
stellar success, and he was just getting started.

Jeff
Sherwood

Silva flattened Carlos Newton.

The Flying Knee

Pride 25 “Body Blow” | March 16, 2003 -- Yokohama,
Japan

Few weapons are more valuable to a striker in MMA than those which
prevent a grappler from closing the distance. The more hesitant a
wrestler or jiu-jitsu artist is to move in on a kickboxer, the more
likely the fight is to be fought on the striker’s terms. Silva
knows that better than anyone and has made a career of knocking out
opponents with precise counterstrikes when they look to take him to
the ground. Sunday morning quarterbacks will often question why a
fighter did not go for takedowns more aggressively against a
dynamic striker. The answer: fights like Silva-Carlos
Newton.

Newton had a clear route to victory against Silva, as he needed to
get the then-Chute Boxe fighter to the ground. Newton’s jiu-jitsu
was his forte, and Silva’s strength was known to be in
striking.

“The Ronin” did get Silva to the ground early, but the fight
returned to the feet later in the first round. Newton looked to
take Silva back down, at which point disaster struck for the former
UFC welterweight champion. Silva went to the air at just about the
same moment Newton ducked for a takedown. His knee collided
violently with Newton’s head, and it was lights out. A split second
changed everything, and grapplers were put on notice: shoot on “The
Spider” at your own peril.

Danger From Below

Pride “Shockwave 2004” | December 31, 2004 -- Saitama,
Japan

His submission loss to Daiju Takase
may have been more surprising because of how lightly the 4-7-1
Kazushi
Sakuraba protégé was regarded, but the most memorable defeat of
Silva’s career came against the former Deep champion
Ryo
Chonan. Chonan pulled out a come-from-behind submission win in
the final two minutes of his fight with Silva -- a strange
complement to Silva’s future come-from-behind submission win in the
final two minutes of his fight with Chael Sonnen. However, unlike
the Silva-Sonnen fight, which ended with a standard triangle
armbar, Chonan executed a submission that has rarely been pulled
off, before or after.

The Japanese fighter knew he needed to do something to pull off a
win over Silva at Pride “Shockwave 2004.” While the fight was
competitive, Silva had generally gotten the better of the action
and was likely to get a decision win in a matter of moments. Chonan
dove forward and scissored Silva’s legs. Tripping Silva to the
ground, Chonan cranked a heel hook and forced the Brazilian to tap.
It was a shocking conclusion to the fight and the last true loss of
Silva’s career.

An Auspicious Debut

UFC Fight Night 5 | June 28, 2006 -- Las
Vegas

Few fighters in UFC history have ever debuted as spectacularly as
Silva did in 2006. He was expected to be a contender in the
middleweight division, but his main event against Chris Leben
was not considered a gimme at the time. Leben had won five straight
fights in the UFC and sported a sparkling 15-1 record. Leben, known
for his iron chin and solid striking, vowed to take the fight to
Silva.

It was only a few seconds before the folly of that approach became
readily apparent. Leben charged forward swinging wild punches.
Almost all of them missed. Silva responded with pinpoint
counterpunches. Almost all of them connected. Not only did Silva
land at will right on Leben’s chin, but he connected with power. He
dropped Leben once and then floored him for good with a knee. At
the end of a 49-second massacre, Silva had connected with 85
percent of his strikes, and Leben had connected with 13 percent of
his.

Leben was simply outclassed. That raised a troubling question: if
Silva could do that against a game UFC contender, what would he do
against the rest of the middleweight division? The answer soon
followed, and it was not good news for everyone else fighting at
185 pounds.

The Beginning of a New Era

UFC 64 “Unstoppable” | Oct. 14, 2006 -- Las
Vegas

Sherdog.com

Rich Franklin was twice a victim.

It is easy to forget that before Silva arrived,
Rich
Franklin was firmly planted as the king of the UFC middleweight
division. Only Frank
Shamrock, Tito Ortiz,
Pat
Miletich and Matt Hughes
had more successful title defenses to that point in UFC history,
and Franklin had never been bested at 185 pounds.

Franklin’s nearly 500-day title run came to an abrupt end at the
hands of Silva, thanks in part to a calamitous fight strategy.
Franklin admitted after the fight that he expected the clinch to be
his “sweet spot” against the master of the Thai plum. Sweet spot it
was not. Silva destroyed Franklin with knees from the clinch before
the fight was mercifully stopped three minutes in. There was almost
a feeling of pity for the longtime champion.

The destruction that Silva wrought against Franklin was evident
when the two rematched for the title in Cincinnati the next year.
“Ace” does not have the best of poker faces. In his most recent
contest against Wanderlei
Silva, he came out smiling like he could not wait to fight.
Against “The Spider” in 2007, Franklin looked like he was coming
out for a funeral. The champion again finished Franklin with
strikes and left no doubt as to who was the better man.